The Last One Standing
by Anne's Tantrums
Summary: Master thought of it. Everyone's a spy, but there's only one true spy. Who knew, right?
1. 1ne - Find The Spy

**Title:** The Last One Standing

 **Genre:** Humor, Friendship

 **Pairing:** None.

 **Summary:** Master thought of it. Laxus and Mira played along. And Lucy had the main role. Everyone's a spy, but there's only one true spy.

 **Note:** Inspired by SBS Running Man, a Korean variety show. This was written two years ago but I put it on a temporary hiatus. You'll probably find a few mistakes but can you let them pass by? Thanks, please enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Nope, still not Hiro Mashima :)

* * *

" **T** he first mission of today's game is 'FT Flag'," Makarov announced, showing them a proud and confident grin. Some complained while others smiled. But the majority were complaints from the Fairy Tail hunters.

"Again?" Happy asked.

"Find a flag across the whole Magnolia City and reach it within thirty minutes. Freed will be using his runes to prevent you from using your powers. There will be fifteen flags. Two persons in one flag isn't allowed. Bring it back immediately when you find it," Makarov explained in one breath, feeling determined. He had planned through all of this carefully and he was sure that the hunters wouldn't be able to find the flags that easily like they did before.

"Gramps, who's participating in today's game?" Natsu asked casually, feeling excited to know who was playing. Of course, he was one of the regulars and that made him happy. Except for the fact that he had to play and have teamwork with the ice princess.

Makarov made a short sound as he looked at the paper he was holding. He suddenly hummed again as he listed, "Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Levy, Gajeel, Bixlow, Evergreen..." he trailed off, briefly looking at the Mages to see what their reaction were. Some were suprised that he had added new members like Bixlow and Evergreen and didn't let Jet, Max, and Lisanna join in today. But the Master added, "Also Mira and Laxus."

"What?!" Almost half of the participants shouted in surprise. They all feared the two. Mira and Laxus were S-Class Mages and even without their powers, they were still the strongest of all Fairy Tail hunters.

Last time they were included in the participants' list, they both won. The game before that time that they also got listed on, Mira won. On their first game, Laxus won. Even Natsu didn't have a chance against them if they were talking about games in these races.

"Yes, we're joining today," Mira said as she suddenly showed up beside the Master.

While the members were arguing that the two joining at the same time was unfair, a thought came to Lucy's mind.

"What's the prize?" she asked amongst the noise and the insults she could hear from Natsu's talkative loud mouth.

"Okay, everyone, the prize is..." Just with that phrase, it got everyone's attention. The weekly prizes were so good and it could all be used to their benefits and that's part of the reason why they were trying hard to win these races. "Five million Jewels and an S-Class mission with an S-Class Mage you choose!"

Natsu and Gray cheered loudly simultaneously. Now that prize was the best bet of this game! They would really have to give their bests to win this game and go on that mission. But Laxus and Mira... they shuddered at the thought. Gajeel, on the inside, wanted to win really badly for that mission but didn't show it. Wendy and Erza's eyes sparkled at the thought of buying sweets while Levy and Lucy's eyes were bright, probably thinking of buying books and clothes. But the two guests didn't care about the prizes. They can go on any mission they want and they already have that much of an amount of money. They just needed the satisfactory of eliminating everyone from the game and winning. That was their goal.

"So the thirty minutes starts..." Immediately, they were all preparing to run away from the guild, wanting to win. Even if the old man didn't say it, there were always prizes for the first, second, and third place winners in every game. "Now!"

And they all ran off.

 **TLOS**

 **I** n a random alleyway, Lucy was catching her breath. Her ears caught a random sound from behind. She turned around to look but didn't find any. There were no flags either in the alley. Then, she heard a familiar laugh from above. She looked at the direction and immediately saw Bixlow on top of the building.

"Gotta go, cosplayer queen!" she heard him say before the man was jumping to another building. _'Right. I can look above,'_ she thought, feeling a bit stupid that she hadn't thought of it earlier. _'But I won't be able to see the dark places.'_

With a sigh, she exited the alley and went to the next alley after confirming there weren't any flags nearby. As soon as she went to the alley, she saw the white triangular flag with a gold outline of their guild sign. She felt proud when she saw it.

 _"Bring it back immediately when you find it."_

Thinking about that quickly, Lucy rushed back to the guild, wanting to see who else had found the flag. She ran across the streets of Magnolia, turning on a few streets then she could see the guild in view already.

"Lucy!" She saw Erza standing in the middle of the guild next to the Master, also holding the same flag like she was holding. Just then, Gajeel showed up on the street to her right, running with a flag too.

"Bad luck, Bunny Girl. You're third place today." As she heard that, Gajeel was just next to her as they both ran to the guild at the same pace.

While running, she took a deep breath then she kicked Gajeel's leg, making him trip and fall. "What the hell!" she heard. Lucy looked over her shoulder and smirked, "Who's third place now, 'Shubidouba' freak?"

 **TLOS**

 **M** eanwhile, a particular two were arguing.

"I found it first!"

"I saw it first!"

"I got here first!"

"I took it first!"

"I did!"

"Just give it to me!"

Unknown to Natsu and Gray, there was another flag hidden further in the alleyway. But Evergreen suddenly appeared from above and grabbed it. She showed it to the two.

"What do you call this?" she asked, smirking before walking away from them.

They were both stunned that there was another flag there but they didn't see it. Feeling like an idiot, the two cooled down for a second, but they still weren't letting the flag go.

"Keep it! I'm looking for another one," Gray uttered, annoyed. He walked to the opposite side of the alley where he and Natsu came from and immediately, he saw another one.

 _'And I even fought with Flame Brain.'_

 **TLOS**

 **T** hirty minutes later, everyone arrived on time back to the guild with their own flags. Erza won first place, Lucy got second place and the third place to Gajeel.

After them, Mira and Laxus arrived at the same time, walking calmly. They were talking about something so they didn't really notice that they didn't win. But to the four's surprise, Makarov included, they didn't care if they lost.

Next was Evergreen, then Natsu, Gray after that, Bixlow next, Levy and Wendy at the same time. They had all found the flags and managed to arrive in thirty minutes.

Thankfully - or unfortunately - no one got eliminated from the start.

 **TLOS**

" **R** eturn?" Erza asked the Master as he gave her a paper. On the back of the paper, it had the words 'Return' written.

"It means after you are eliminated, you just have to say it and you can go back to the whole race. This can only be used once," was Makarov's explanation.

Titania smiled. There was no way she was getting eliminated in the earlier games. If ever, she'd be out at the last mission and she'll just use it once she loses. That five million Jewels were at stake. And she heard that there was a new armor at Clover Town and new sweets around. She wanted the prize badly.

It was a great prize, if you ask her. If she'd just win the other games, then she'll have the most advantages for the last game.

"Thanks, Master." Erza handed him the envelope back with a smile. She went back to the other members as she bumped into Lucy on the way.

"Erza, what was the prize?" Natsu asked her.

She glared at him. "Get your own prize."

" _H-Hai._ "

Mira smiled when she saw Erza glaring at Natsu. Truthfully, she also wanted to win but she was all right with losing. There were other games and she could get her advantages there. She promised an alliance with Laxus with him, they'd win this week's race together. They talked about it and they made a decision. They won't give anyone mercy.

"You think it's her?" She heard someone ask her. She turned around and saw Laxus eyeing Erza—not in a perverted way—but in a way like he was observing her actions.

"Erza?" She asked, more to herself like she was thinking about it very hard. Then, she suddenly shook her head. "I don't think it's her."

"Who are your guesses?"

"I think it's Gray or Bixlow," Mira answered as she observed the other participants. "Gray's unusually quiet today and Bixlow's acting weird."

Laxus shook his head. "It's not Bixlow. I asked him and Evergreen before the race. It's not them." He narrowed his eyes when he saw Levy pulling out a piece of paper from her pocket. The blue-haired girl was looking at it. He thought, _'What's that paper?'_

"Anyone could be it. Let's just watch them for now," Mira told him in a hushed voice. He nodded in agreement, his eyes still narrowed.

 **TLOS**

 **T** he next mission was harder than they thought. Being the first place, Erza had been only watching them from the sides. But Master said that when the third mission takes place, she'd be back in the game.

The second mission was called _'Help Me'_. They'll pick a paper from the box that the Master was holding. There are numbers written on the back of the papers. Whoever picks the same number as they picked, they'll be their teammate.

Lucy's partner was Gajeel while Levy was paired with Evergreen. Wendy was with Bixlow. Mira and Laxus were a pair. And unfortunately, Natsu and Gray picked the same number. And oh, they won last place.

The pair would have their backs facing each other while their hands were tied tightly with a rope and they'd have to untangle themselves within ten minutes.

First place was Laxus and Mira, second was Bixlow and Wendy, and third belonged to Levy and Evegreen.

The game made Erza, the Exceeds, and Makarov laugh at their frustration and annoyed calls. The others that were watching were also laughing at them, especially at Natsu and Gray.

 **TLOS**

 **W** endy was panicking on the inside. When she and Bixlow went to the Master to get their prize, she knew that both Laxus and Mira were watching the two of them, making her nervous.

The Master handed the both of them a small envelope. She opened it for Bixlow and took out a paper from inside.

There was a _'Clones'_ written on it.

"What's this?" Bixlow asked, not familiar with the prize. Whenever he was included in the participants, the prizes he got were different. This was probably a new prize that the Master had thought of.

"At any mission, you can use this to make clones of yourself and they'll stay by your side and they'll be loyal to you." Makarov explained to them, smiling widely. He was proud that he thought of this by himself.

"All right." Bixlow grinned. Wendy knew it was because of the prize. For her, it was honestly advantageous for them. If they used the clones, they might be able to take out the other stronger members.

They have a chance in winning this. Wendy proudly thought, _'I'm winning this race today.'_

They went back to the other members while Levy and Evergreen went to the Master. It wasn't allowed to tell the others what you got as a prize. Thankfully, no one asked them. After a couple of minutes, Levy and Evergreen went back.

Then, Master walked in front of them.

 _'What is Master going to announce?"_

The Master grinned. "From now on, you have to figure out who's the spy."

"SPY?!"

"There's a spy?"

"Who?"

"Who's the spy?"

Wendy stayed quiet. But she was panicking. _'Master, why did you say it?'_

* * *

 **Tantrum Zone:** Mwahaha. I know everything's happening too soon in this chapter but I purposely made it like that. I'm focusing on their last mission, which is the whole point of the race. And everyone will know who's the spy. Oh, guess who it is!

There are reasons why I divided them like this and mostly everyone will have a part about them. And there's also a reason why I ended this chapter with Wendy. It was supposed to be Mira's part but I decided Wendy would be more fitting to the chapter :)

I haven't found any stories like these and since I have already written lots of these, I thought I might post them :) Ya like it?

FOLLOW! Promise, it'll be fun!

REVIEW! I accept anything.

FAVE! There'll be more!

\- Annie


	2. 2wo - Two Spies Active

**Note:** Please forgive me if there are any mistakes. Please enjoy!

 _"We can turn the table upside down."_

* * *

 **B** oth Mira and Laxus were smirking. Their acts were too obvious. And the two of them didn't like it. It seemed like no one knew about it but they were just lying to each other. Of all the races they've played, this just has to be the best spy races.

They liked it. These races were exciting and shocking and thrilling. It fueled them. In each game, the spy would pretend that they weren't the spy. But once you point out that they're the spy, they'd lose the poker face and start panicking.

That was the part of what they liked. Especially the part that when the spy panics and the two would just attack them.

 _That_ was the best part.

"Look at them, acting so confused," Laxus commented dryly, smirking as he watched the other participants ask each other who was the spy among them.

Mira chuckled. "I bet one of them is laughing deep inside since 'he' knows what's happening."

"Hey, we also know what's happening but we're not even hiding our laughs," Laxus pointed out, laughing again. It was just hilarious to him. And also, it looked ridiculous.

"Hey, who's the spy?"

"I didn't know there was a spy."

"You better come out now!"

"Everyone, from now on, the missions will have clues about the spies," Master Makarov announced to them, making Laxus and Mira smile.

Mira looked at the mixed emotions and expressions. She knew it was making Laxus excited for the final mission. And she was excited too. She wanted to take everyone out. No one was eliminated from the last game and that meant more members would participate at the last game and that would mean it be more harder to point out the spy. But that meant more excitement.

"Ne, Laxus, should we win those clues and prizes?" Mira asked, her eyes twinkling bright with delight.

"That was my line."

Even Laxus was excited. Yeah, this race would definitely be one of the best races. He wanted to time travel and just go to the final mission and eliminate everyone. But he was happier when he was seeing the faces of confusion and surprise. He knew all of them were faking it except for one. And that one person knew _everything_ what was going on.

Mira grinned, her competitiveness showing.

"Okay. I'll be more serious this time."

 **TLOS**

" **Y** ou'll be blindfolded and there will be ten wooden pieces in front of you. You just have to hit and break two pieces or more. If you don't, you're eliminated."

"This will be harder since we're blindfolded," Gray heard Gajeel say beside. He thought, _'You Dragon Slayers just need to use your nose to smell the dust.'_

Gray was the first to go. He just remained calm and let Macao put the blindfold on him while Wakaba fixed the woods. Firstly, he concentrated. Then, he focused in materializing ten pieces of wood in front of him. Without feeling doubt, he punched his fist downwards.

Excitedly, he removed the cloth covering his eyes and looked at the pieces. He bent down and started counting the broken ones. It was more than two, for sure.

"4... 5... 6... 7!" He shouted happily. He passed. He turned around and found Natsu. The Fire Dragon Slayer was holding a bored expression on his face. But when Gray pointed to him, Natsu looked at him.

Gray smirked triumphantly. "I'd like to see you try and beat that, Flame Brain!"

Later on, no one was still eliminated. Erza, Mira, Laxus all tied in first place for ten pieces. Next was Gajeel with eight pieces. Then it was Gray and Natsu for third place with both seven. Bixlow and Evergreen both had six, Lucy had five, Wendy had three, Levy had two.

"For everyone who won first to third places, we will have a rematch. This time, there will be no blindfolds. The goal is five pieces or more."

So they did a rematch. First was Laxus with still ten pieces. Mira got second by breaking nine woods. And Erza got eight.

 _'Damn that rematch,'_ he thought to himself angrily.

 **TLOS**

 **S** he hadn't won a prize but she was okay with it. All Lucy needed now was to get everyone eliminated by the final round. And how can she do that? There was Laxus, Mira, Erza... No matter how hard she tried, she still wouldn't be able to eliminate them. Especially without magic. Why did the races need to prohibit the use of magic anyway? Well, sure, it was unfair but... it was more unfair without magic.

"Ne, Lu-chan, who do you think is the spy?" Levy asked her. She smiled as she thought about it.

"I don't know. You?"

"I'm thinking of Laxus and Mira," Levy answered honestly.

Lucy wanted to say, _"Oh, Levy-chan. I know for a fact it's not them."_

"Really?" She asked instead. There was no way she was spilling that, even to her best friend. She wanted to win so she'll do anything just to win. Covering it up, she added, "I don't think so. I think those two wouldn't be able to work together."

Levy put her index finger and her thumb on her chin, humming as she maybe thought about something. Maybe it was about the spy that the Master revealed to them earlier. It really sent everyone thinking. Then, she heard her best friend speak. "Those two? Those two are both S-Class so I think they can work together. But I'm thinking that it's one of them, if they're not working together."

She didn't answer anymore. It left her thinking about it though. Is it really Laxus and Mira? If so, she'd be in trouble. And that meant _big trouble._

"Levy-chan, want to make an alliance for the last mission?"

"Hmm, I don't know," the blunette girl mumbled truthful, blushing a bit. Lucy knew she was feeling embarrassed since she basically rejected her offer to be allies. But if Lucy was to be honest, it was okay with her. "I-I'll th - "

Levy was interrupted by their Master. "The fourth mission is _'Walk Race'._ The rules are, only walking or running is allowed, no transportation or jumping on roofs or swimming underwater allowed, physical attacks on another member isn't allowed too. You need to walk or run to Clover Town within an _hour_."

She heard Mira and Laxus conversing.

"A race?" Mira had asked. From the corner of her eye, she saw the woman smirk while the man beside her shrugged as his face was blank. Lucy thought about it for a second. Those two were definitely suspicious for today.

"Looks like it," Laxus said, she heard. They suddenly became serious when they were taking the games from the start lightly. Was it a mission? Or was Levy right and they were the spies?

But Master said _'spy',_ not _'spies'._ Maybe he was just fooling her and everyone else. Maybe it was a trick with his words. Today's race was definitely weird.

"That'll be easy," she heard Natsu say proudly. _Easy? 'That's what you think,'_ she thought bitterly. Maybe she should've followed Loke and Capricorn's instructions to exercise and train regularly. Now she really feels bad and she's beginning to regret it. But there's no harm in trying, right?

"Ready?" The Master suddenly asked.

 _'Now?'_

"Start!"

 _'Crap!'_

She started running, trying her best to win here. "If I don't win here, I won't get that money!"

 **TLOS**

 **E** ven Natsu was flustered. Keeping an act was insane, for him at least. Early this morning, he was called by the Master to go to the guild. Of course he went, Happy was pestering him every other minute to wake up and get out of the damn house to go to the guild. He met up with the Master on his office.

What Makarov told him was surprising though. It was about today's race. He was told about the games, the rules, the list of participants, almost everything. The reason why really shocked him.

 _He_ was the main lead of this race.

And if he was asked, he'd say he was quite the actor. The pink-haired Slayer was really worried that he might spill something. But he managed to keep it up until now. But when the Master told everyone that there was a spy, he mentally panicked.

He remembered thinking, _'Damn. Is Gramps giving me the disadvantage?'_

Instead, he asked everyone who was the spy and told them to reveal themselves. But he knew no one was going to reveal themselves because _he_ was the main character, not somebody else. And that's why he was winning this game.

While he was currently running, he was thinking of ways to defeat Laxus, Erza, and Mira. Maybe he should attack from behind. Or go all out. Should he form a small alliance and defeat those three first before eliminating everyone else?

 _'I'm not losing to anyone.'_

"Why is Natsu quiet today?" He knew Gray was smirking at him. He always knew when Gray was glaring or smirking at him. He could sense it.

"Shut up, food thief."

"Food thief?" Lucy asked, catching up with the two of them. Natsu nodded to his best friend and partner. When he jumped over a rock, he explained, "That prick stole my chicken last week."

With that, Lucy laughed. It made them feel comfortable. Somehow, the angelic sound made the thick air of tension go away. Lucy always made the pressure vanish from their midst. It was really useful whenever she did when they were playing these games.

It made him smile too.

"Hey, I did not!"

The pressure was really gone.

"You did! I totally saw you eat the chicken!"

"It was my chicken, Fire Freak!"

"It was mine, Princess Stripper!"

"Oh, shut up, you two," he heard Erza threaten them from the front. They were all running and Erza was in the lead. He could sense Erza's eyes glaring at the grass in front of them. They had decided to go by the forest but the branches and rocks were a disturbance.

 _'Poor grass,'_ Natsu thought, feeling sympathetic for the fresh, green grass that Erza was running on and glaring at.

 **TLOS**

 **G** ajeel was annoyed. Why did he have to run with these people? He wasn't pressured at all, if that's what you're thinking. _'Damn it if I am.'_ But he didn't want to run beside these guys. Think about it. Running with the Titania, Demon Mirajane, and the infamous Laxus of lightning. And Bunny Girl and Shrimp was saying that the Fire Freak was strong. Talk about titans.

 _'I'm running with monsters,'_ he thought, rolling his eyes. And thank Zeref no one saw that... hopefully.

"So, guys, who do you think is the spy?" Mira suddenly asked.

It hit a nerve in him but he scolded himself to stay calm. So he did and he kept that blank face he always had. He knew it always worked and it would work this time too.

 _'Just don't let the She-Demon notice your hesitance, you'll be fine,'_ he told himself earlier.

He suddenly remembered what had happened this morning. To say he was surprised was an understatement. The news he had received was like a bombshell. He was too astounded earlier to respond to Makarov.

 _"You are the spy today."_

 _"You need to defeat everyone."_

 _"You are the center of this race."_

It wasn't his first time being a spy but it had been too long since he was one. It had almost been near three months since he became a spy. Earlier, Makarov had informed him of the rules, the missions, everything he needed to know about the game.

"What about you, Gajeel?" The Shrimp asked him.

"I think it's the Flame Brain," he answered quickly.

"Me?" The other Dragon Slayer questioned loudly, giving the man a hard glare.

Gajeel glared at him. There was something in Natsu's tone that he couldn't comprehend. Maybe it was disbelief or dishonesty or confusion or whatever shit that might come to his mind next. He knew, though, that he didn't like the sound of that question.

"Yes, you. Problem?"

He saw Natsu stop running as the pink-haired man glared at him. He didn't mind it though. He, too, running. _'Damn that race. This is more interesting,'_ he told himself. The former took huge, heavy steps to him but he didn't buldge an inch.

Seeing them, Gray and Lucy halted at the same time. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the Shrimp bump into Lucy's back and fall down to the ground before looking at the two of them curiously. Wendy also stopped running. Hearing no more footsteps, maybe, the three S-Class Mages turned around, making Evergreen and Bixlow automatically do the same. But the former three were just staring at them blankly, seemingly not caring about them.

"I have one. Why were you saying earlier that Luce was weak?"

And that's why he hated this particular Dragon Slayer. Nothing really gets past him when it comes to his comrades. Especially Lucy. Gajeel hated it. The pinkette was always so protective of Bunny Girl and it was making him puke. Now how would he get out of here?

He thought of his words carefully. Damn that moron, getting Erza's attention. And that meant they were in danger. And that also meant Erza would observe him from now on. As the spy, that would place him in a critical situation.

He snarled at Natsu. "I didn't say she was weak. I said she had weak guts."

"Well, what was that for?" Natsu was making it really hard for him. Gajeel thought, _'Just because you're not the damn spy doesn't mean you can make others go through hell.'_ Natsu took another step towards him. He pressed on, "Well?"

"Natsu, let's just go," he heard the Bunny Girl tell him.

It was true that he said that the woman had weak guts. But he didn't say she was physically nor did he mean that kind of insinuation. Earlier during the third game, which was to punch the wooden blocks, the Bunny Girl was complaining that it was too hard and she was scared.

"Not until this jerk says sorry to you." It was clear to Gajeel that Natsu wanted him to apologize to Lucy. He thought about it. If he apologized now, Erza might ignore it. If he didn't, well, he sure as hell losing in the last game.

"Fine, sorry."

"Natsu, it's okay. Let's just go," Bunny Girl told Natsu. After that, the S-Class Mages started to run and they did too, catching their pace.

 _'Damn, that was close.'_

 **TLOS**

 **L** evy was tired. How many kilometers have they even ran already? How many minutes have they been running so far? To be frank, she didn't know because she didn't care. She wanted that money and complicating things for her brain and adding math problems for herself wouldn't give her any good out of it. Besides, she could just ask the other members.

 _'I've had my eyes on a couple of books in the past week and I want that money to buy it!'_

"Ne, do you guys know how many kilometers we've already ran?" She heard Gray ask before she was almost about to.

She mentally thanked the Ice Mage. She thought that if she spoke, she'll just use her energy when she's already using her battery to run. And that was without their magic powers.

"Lucy-san, why do you think Master only gave us one hour?" Wendy asked Lucy. She saw her best friend shrug her shoulders while running.

Actually, when they were deciding that all of them would go by the city or through the forest, Erza and Mira had said that there's no use in competing to try and see who'll be the first to reach Clover Town. So they all agreed to go there all at the same time without any problems.

Levy looked at the slightly muddy ground while she was running.

Earlier, when Master was announcing the rules, he kept on glancing from Mira to Erza. Why? She noticed that, and she was sure that some of them noticed it too. Why, is there something with the two of them? Or were they related in any things related to this race? Was Master telling them something through telepathy?

No, the Master can't do that.

But what were the looks for? It had been on Levy's mind earlier but she tried to push it to the back of her mind. But it was coming back and this time, she can't get it out of her head. It was bothering her too much. What if she asks the two of them? At the same time or separately? No, asking them here would be suicide. If others didn't notice that before, they'd surely be suspicious. Meanwhile, asking them alone would be dangerous for someone like her. Even if she asked the two of them separately, one of them might change their mind and attack her all of a sudden. That would be a disadvantage for her. Now she wished she had accepted that alliance with Lucy.

 _What if he wasn't looking at them?_

That. Maybe that was it. Maybe it wasn't Erza or it wasn't Mira... or it wasn't the two of them! _'But that's impossible. There wasn't anyone else beside Erza or Mira,'_ she thought.

Maybe it was just some coincidence. She was sure, though, that it happened. Besides, those two weren't out of their usual characters today. _Maybe_ they weren't the spy.

Speaking of characters, Bixlow and Natsu were acting weird.

 _"There are two spies today."_

This has got to be the most difficult race of all times.

Levy doubted that Natsu was the spy. If he was, it would be obvious by now. The same for Gray. Bixlow, though... well, he's acting strange. Evergreen wasn't flipping her hair that much. Erza was... too focused on the game. Lucy was acting perfectly fine. How could that be?

 _Lucy [ × ]_

 _'I'm sure Lu-chan is not the spy,'_ Levy said in her mind, a small smile on her lips. There's no way her best friend was a spy. If she was, Lucy would've told her already.

 _"What about Laxus and Mira?"_ Her conscience butted in.

Those two were still the same; the silent but competitive type. After this mission, for sure, they'll be seeing the two's competitive side. But even if they were acting normal, there was still a chance that they were just pretending.

 _Laxus [ × ]_

 _Mira [ × ]_

 _'I just need to find the other spy,'_ Levy thought.

* * *

 **Tantrum Zone:** I know, you might think this was a bit rushed. Well, when I was writing years ago, maybe I was really rushing it that time. Haha. I'll edit them... soon. But like I said, I'm trying to focus on the last mission and the spy. Aren't you curious about our favorite Fairy Tail characters?

Who do you think is the real spy?

FOLLOW! Learn who's the spy.

REVIEW! Tell me who's your guess!

FAVE! It'll be a good story!

\- Annie


	3. 3hree - Off The Hook

**Note:** Barely edited, like the others. Haha. Sorry! Please enjoy!

 _"It's just a game, isn't it?"_

* * *

 **A** s they reached Clover Town, they immediately saw Master Makarov, standing there like he was waiting for them all day.

"Huh? Why is Gramps here?" Natsu asked, clueless as ever. The blond man saw Gray snickering and Lucy smiling.

Laxus hit the back of his head. "It's a thought projection." He rolled his eyes as Natsu made an understanding face. A scene caught Laxus' eyes, though. It was Levy. She was holding a piece of paper again. Laxus remembered that she was also looking at that before.

"Laxus," he heard a whisper. He turned around and saw Mira. She was pointing at Levy. He frowned when he saw the blue-haired looking at the paper seriously. Mira asked him, "What's that?"

"It's a paper, Mira - " he cut himself off suddenly. Then, he realized that Mira wasn't pointing at the paper. Under Levy's sleeve, there was a bracelet made of paper. The usual gold paper that the spy needs to wear.

"But, Laxus, there's nothing written there," Mira informed him. Laxus smirked slightly.

"So, we eliminate her?"

"Laxus, we should still be careful. When we find her at the last mission, we'll do it."

"Okay, everyone!" Makarov chirped happily, stopping Laxus to speak any more. "Now run back to Magnolia! You need to make it in 45 minutes. Remember, you will earn a clue about the spy if you win."

"Again?" Evergreen asked, bewildered at the fact that they needed to run again.

"The Old Man is trying to let us guess who's the spy in this mission," Laxus grumbled quietly.

"Ready... start!"

"Let's go!" Natsu shouted excitedly.

Gajeel, Gray, and Erza started running. Evergreen and Bixlow were followig closely behind them. Wendy and Levy were walking together.

Lucy panted and then told the other members, "You guys go ahead. I'm too tired." Natsu frowned and walked closer to her.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. You only have 45 minutes."

 **TLOS**

 **M** ira saw Natsu give an apologetic grin to Lucy. She heard Laxus calling for her and she knew that was her cue to start running. She ran with a slow pace then she looked over her shoulder. She saw Lucy sitting on the large boulder, not making a move to run or at least walk.

 _'Is she planning to stay behind?'_

"Laxus," she started. The blond man turned his head, catching Lucy on a large rock in his sight. "Lucy's not it. She's off the hook."

"Yeah," he breathed out. Mira was catching up to his pace as they ran side by side. "If she's willing to stay there, she must not be the spy."

"Yeah. I agree," Mira replied to him, nodding her head in agreement to his statement.

They stayed quiet after that, catching a new pace slowly. After a few minutes, they were in the lead with Erza and Gajeel following behind them. She could hear Gray and Natsu bickering again but she guessed Erza was too focused in running than scolding the two. She looked back. There were still no sights of Lucy catching up with them.

In her own opinion, Lucy wasn't the spy. If she was, she'd definitely be running with them since the winners would get hints about the spy. _'That's it!'_ A thought suddenly came to her mind. Master Makarov told her and Laxus earlier everyone were spies. But only one was the real spy and that person knew everything what was going on.

Even if Lucy wasn't the real spy, Mira figured that the blonde woman would still know that she's a spy, though she's a fake. Then that means, Lucy must think she's the only spy. _'If she thinks she's the spy, then she'd think that the clues would be about her,'_ Mira logically thought.

"Wait, Mira," a voice stopped her train of thoughts. She looked up to her left amd saw Laxus frowning. With that, she immediately knew that they were both on the same page. They were thinking about the same thing.

"She's not off the hook," Laxus stated. She nodded firmly, thinking the same thing.

Mira thought to herself, _'If Lucy's not the real spy, I'll personally eliminate her.'_ But of course, she'd never tell anyone about her plan.

* * *

 _"_ ** _M_** _aster?" A sweet voice called out as the door to his office opened. He looked up from the papers that the Council sent and saw Mira standing there with Laxus beside her._

 _"Ah, come in. Sit down," he started. Mira nodded as they both walked forward and sat on the chairs in front of Makarov's desk. He placed the paper and his pen away and looked at the two._

 _"You two... will be joining today's race."_

 _"Eh?" Mira said in surprise._

 _Laxus was also shocked. Makarov grinned widely. He loved surprising his 'children' and the looks on their faces when they're told they're the spy were interesting and it amused him. He nodded, assuring Mira that she heard right._

 _"Yes. But today, everyone's a spy."_

 _The statement caught the two of them off-guard, with Makarov succeeding in surprising another one of his 'children'. His grin never seemed to fade away. He saw Laxus frowning and Mira looking at the ceiling as though she was thinking of something._

 _"So how does that work?" Laxus asked him gruffly, crossing his arms as he leaned back on his chair._

 _"Well, I've already told everyone they're a spy, but only one person among them knows the truth. And that person also knows that there are two people who know that there's a real spy."_

 _"And, who is it?" Laxus asked again._

 _Makarov leaned forward, a triumphant smile on his face. "That's for me to know and for you to figure out."_

 _Laxus let out a curse under his breath. Makarov knew it was because he was making his grandson think logically and all those things that the blond man hated. He turned to his right and saw Mira and smiling with excitement._

 _"Suspense!" She squealed, quite enthusiastic about it._

 _"If you figure out who it is, you must help them out. If they win, they get five million and you two get two million each and you can participate in next week's game again," Makarov explained, making hand gestures from time to time to make his point clearer to the two._

 _"If that person loses...?" Mira trailed off, ending her statement with a question._

 _Makarov hummed. He looked at the wall first before looking again at the both of them. He answered, "Both of you will lose too and the others will continue to finish the game."_

 _"So basically, he wins, we win. He loses, we lose," Laxus pointed out. Makarov nodded and he smiled._

 _The old man saw Mira looking at Laxus, probably waiting for him to say something. After a while, his grandson stood up, pointing a finger at him while he was smirking confidently._

 _"Make sure to prepare that nine million for the three of us."_

 _It's been an hour since Laxus and Mira left his office already. The two made a pact to have an alliance from the start of the game. That way, they can talk more often and they can figure out who's the spy._

 _Makarov smiled to himself._ 'To think this only started as a game to kill time.'

 _This would be a game that would remain in his memory. It'll be a race he'll never forget. And he highly doubted that someone would be able to forget today's race._

 _Everyone would be thinking to theirselves that they're a spy while only one person knows everything happening. It'll be the race of the year. If people lost in this game, it would surely have an impact on them since he led them to think they were a spy wherein they were only fooling themselves and they were just making the real spy laugh inside._

 _Just by thinking about it made him excited to see the race later._

* * *

 **E** vergreen was growing suspicious of Erza. Was she the spy? She noticed Erza wasn't paying that much attention to anyone else. Even when Gray and Natsu were bickering, the Titania didn't bother to scold them or to make them shut up. Instead, she was just there, running along with them.

Well, _she_ wasn't the spy. If she was, she would've told Laxus earlier when he asked her. She was a loyal member of the Rajinshuu and if Laxus wanted to know if she's the spy, she'd tell him the truth even if she was the spy - but she's not. She was just told by the Master that she's participating in today's game. That was that.

In fact, she, too, was curious who could be the spy. But she's assuming it's Erza. The redhead had been too serious in this race. She wasn't _that_ serious in other races. Now, she's getting really suspicious of her.

If Erza was the spy, Evergreen wouldn't hesitate to tell the other woman later that she failed in her acting. Evergreen didn't buy her acting. She never knew that Erza would have a hard time in acting. Huh, well, she's not the real fairy, anyway. Evergreen _is_ the real fairy.

Even if Erza wasn't the spy, she promised to eliminate the Titania and be the real Fairy.

 **B** ixlow felt confused. Everyone was acting different. Not that different but if you paid really close attention to what they're doing, one would notice it. _'Like how Gray's been too quiet,'_ the man thought as he gave the other man a glance.

He was quite surprised when the Master announced to everyone that there was a spy. Normally, when the race has a spy, the Master just keeps quiet and he lets everyone know by themselves that there's a spy. And if no one figures out that there's a spy, it's the members' fault.

Yesterday, when the Master told him to meet up with him, he was really surprised. Bixlow wasn't really the type to go to the guild at nine o'clock in the evening. He thought it would be related to the game the next day and he was correct. Makarov had told him he was participating, along with Evergreen.

The Master hadn't said anything about a spy. When he did announce it, Bixlow wanted to laugh at his guild mates. They were too obvious. He recognized it all as an act. It was then that he realized there was something off. Something else was happening unlike the other spy races. He couldn't point out what was that _something_ but he knew something was different.

And he was sure he wasn't the only one who noticed that the Master kept looking at Mira and Erza back and forth. The Master might've been discreet about it but for him, it was obvious. He might not know who, but he was sure someone else would've seen that. He wasn't the only one who got eyes. Earlier, he was twitching to ask the people around him. But he realized only now that keeping quiet about it was the best thing.

Then, his mind drifted off to think about who was the spy. Hell, everyone was acting different. How would he know who was the spy? There was someone who had been on his mind since the announcement about having a spy.

 _'Cosplayer's not it,'_ he told himself. Yes, he was sure it wasn't the little blonde. Of all the members, Lucy was the only one who was acting the same. And when she told Natsu to get going and leave her there, it only confirmed his suspicions. It wasn't her.

 _'If she was the spy, she'd be running here with us. That means, she doesn't care about the hints.'_

 **TLOS**

" **H** ey, guys. You think Lucy's the spy?" Gray suddenly asked while running.

From his left eye, he saw Natsu looking at him. Then, the Dragon Slayer said, " _You_ think it's her?"

"I was just asking." Gray shrugged. _'If he doesn't wants to answer, who cares?'_ He wasn't suspicious of the girl. He only wanted to know if there was anyone who was suspicious of Lucy. It was a good chance to ask everyone else since Lucy wasn't with them.

And what would Lucy be doing there back at Clover Town? Lying down and catching her breath? When they get back to Magnolia, the Master would still ask her to come back to the guild.

"Erza, what do you think of this race?" He asked when he caught up with the woman's pace. Erza looked at him. She was giving him a look he

"It's amusing, if you ask me," was Erza's reply to him. He raised a brow. _'Amusing? How so?'_ He thought, wanting to ask her that out loud. Instead, he didn't answer.

No one will ever forget this race.

That's what he knew.

 _Twenty minutes later_

 **TLOS**

 **N** atsu groaned. Tired, he sat down at the floor. He quietly watched Makarov. The latter was looking at them curiously.

Master asked them, "But... where's Lucy?"

His ears twitched at the mention of his partner. Before anyone else could answer, he did it himself. "She stayed back there."

Master looked even more confused, especially when Levy and Erza nodded their heads. He was gonna say that it was the truth and no one agtacked her while they were running but sadly, he was interrupted by a cheerful voice that seemed so familiar to him. He knew that voice anywhere.

"What do you mean _stayed_?"

"L-Lucy?!" His sensitive ears heard Mira's stammering query. He couldn't believe it. Was Lucy really there? He turned his head around and there was really Lucy Heartfilia, his very own best friend.

"Ah, Lucy! I was wondering where you went," Makarov said, grinning. Natsu turned to him, a deep frown appearing on his face.

"But Lucy... didn't you stay at Clover Town?" Erza asked, bemused at the realization that Lucy _might've_ arrived before them.

Lucy walked closer to them. She scratched her cheek shyly then she smiled. "I took a fifteen-minute break then I took a different route."

"Ahh," the others said in understanding. Natsu unconsciously narrowed his eyes. A different route? He really wanted to ask her but someone stopped him.

"And, Lucy is the only winner!"

"Eh?! What?!" Even the people around them shouted unceremoniously. All of the Fairy Tail hunters were shocked. Natsu had his eyes wide and his mouth was open.

"Lucy arrived in 41 minutes and 58 seconds. Mira came in with second place but you arrived in 47 minutes and 21 seconds," Makarov explained calmly.

Natsu groaned. He probably used all his energy in running. Yet, he didn't win. If he offered to stay with Lucy, he'd be at least second place. But no, he was too greedy to win as the _spy_ rather than staying with a friend. He almost didn't care about Lucy being left behind. He became too confident about winning the mission. And his overconfidence led him to losing.

He sighed. Lucy was quite the competition. Especially when she had her spirits. Then again, everyone was his competition. He needed to take things more seriously this time. And he knew the next mission would be the last.

He watched as Lucy walked over to the Master and he gave her a paper. Then, he saw them talking. At some point, Lucy had her eyebrows furrowed while the Master was making small hand gestures to the girl. He must've been only explaining something to her. Natsu couldn't hear them, though. Was there a soundproof barrier?

"The last mission is finally here!" The Master shouted excitedly when Lucy made her way back. He was too moody to cheer or be happy.

 _'One thing is for sure. I'll kill them all.'_

"The whole town of Magnolia is your playing field today! But be sure not to make too much damage," Makarov had added the last part in a frantic and worried tone. He laughed loudly then he said, "Now, find a hiding spot if you don't want the spy to find you!"

After that, the eleven of them all ran off.

 **TLOS**

 **L** axus and Mira weren't really trying their best to hide themselves. In fact, they were hardly hiding. With all the confidence they had, they were standing at the highest building in Magnolia and looking for their enemies. They knew no one would dare come to them and attack them just like that so they just planned to look for the other participants.

Mira squinted her eyes when she saw a shadow in a nearby street. Then she caught a familiar foot. She couldn't think as to who it might be, though. She didn't tell Laxus about the suspicious person first. Instead of doing that, she kept on watching that area for any movements.

"Mira, what do you think is the mission?"

"Uhh, the usual _'rip-the-name-tag''_?" She answered with uncertainty with her tone. She crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Why?"

"The Old Man didn't really say that and he gave us no mission. He just told us to hide, if we didn't want the spy to look for us," Laxus explained to her, his voice gruff.

Mira turned around and started to watch the street again. She shrugged as she said, "Maybe that's it." _'Now don't bother me because I'm watching someone.'_ She saw another shadow. The white-haired woman took a step forward and leaned her body, getting a closer look.

"It's Erza and Wendy," she heard from Laxus. She didn't mind it as she figured out Laxus have noticed them too. What she didn't know, though, that there were two of them.

"Let's go?" Mira urged him.

Laxus groaned. "Not now."

She shrugged her shoulders, continuing to watch the two that Laxus claimed it was Erza and Wendy. All of a sudden, the two came out of the street. Laxus was right. It really was Erza and Wendy. One thing caught her attention though. They were holding hands. She sensed Laxus walking near her but her eyes were glued to the pair. Both of Erza and Wendy's hands were holding the other party's hands tightly.

 _'Are they making an alliance?_ ' _'_ Mira thought, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Laxus clicked his tongue in annoyance beside her. "They're a team now. Wendy bumped into Titania and Erza proposed they make an alliance," he explained to her, which she was grateful for. If Laxus didn't hear that coversation, they wouldn't know what those two are planning.

Suddenly, Master Makarov's thought projection appeared in front of them.

 **TLOS**

 **L** ucy was inside Kardia Cathedral, looking everywhere. She had searched high and low but couldn't find anything.

"Where is it?" She whined quietly as she looked at the wall, her hands feeling the hard concrete. She whispered to herself, "Laxus and Mira-san are just above this Cathedral so I need to hurry."

Her hand suddenly came across a rough place on the wall. With her nail, she scratched the wall and a paper fell to the ground. She grinned. Then, she picked up the paper and looked at it.

 **[ There's a bracelet that the spy is wearing ]**

"Ah, this is great," she mumbled to herself with a smile. Slowly, and taking quiet steps, she peeked outside the Cathedral. She made sure there was no one in the area before stepping outside. She looked at the top of the Cathedral, looking for Mira and Laxus.

The two were standing at the roof of the building, talking to each other. Shaking her head, she walked away from the Cathedral, looking for more of those papers.

* * *

 **Tantrum Zone:** Bam! Here's the last mission! Wasn't Levy wearing a bracelet? Yieee, who could be the spy? I'm also sorry if the divisions of the chapters are confusing you.

FOLLOW! Learn who's the spy.

REVIEW! Tell me who's your guess!

FAVE! It'll be a good story!

\- Annie


End file.
